I Will Buy You A New Life
by manhattanProject
Summary: Sequel to Two Princes, READ THAT FIRST. AU Alex/Mitchie One-shot/song-fic


**A/N: sup, I have a new one shot...one year later and I finally wrote a sequel to Two Princes. I suggest you read that first if you haven't already. This is a one-shot song-fic ish type of thing. The song is I Will Buy You A New Life by Everclear. love the band and the song, check em out if you want. but whatever. hope you like it**

**leave a review if you want, let me know what you think. that would be dope**

**Disclaimed: let's not and say we did.**

* * *

Mitchie held the edges of a white envelope tightly in her hands. She was exhausted, her coworkers and even her dad thought she was depressed, but she was just all around _tired_. She stood in front of the familiar door in a less than spectacular apartment and hated that she felt the need to take a breath to calm down before knocking.

"Mitchie?" Her voice was soft, and slightly confused, and yet she still managed to sound hopeful. Mitchie wanted to frown but kept a straight face instead.

"Hi, Alex."

"What are you doing here?" She rubbed the back of her neck, trailing her fingers through her hair. She didn't know what to say to her anymore. She never wanted things to get like this between them. But she had known for a while that they were always headed down this path. And it was her fault. Without a word, she handed the envelope to the woman standing before her. "Mitch…"

"It's not much, but it's all I have for now."

"I don't want this."

"Just take it."

"No, Mitchie. You need to stop this."

"Take it…_please_," she begged again and Alex sighed heavily. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared Mitchie down with a look on her face that was both fed up and determined.

"Come back home and I will."

"Can we not do this tonight? I just want to go to bed."

"Then come to bed." She dropped her arms and Mitchie could hear the desperation in her voice. "Come back to _our_ bed, in _our_ place…with your _wife_."

"I'm just here to give you this."

"Are you still staying at your dad's?"

"For now, yes."

"Until…"

"Until I can find something else."

"I have an idea…"

"Alex, please…"

"Why are you being like this?" she said a little louder. But she sighed when she remembered what time it was and that everyone else in their apartment was probably asleep. "Come on, baby. It's late. And I'm so tired of being alone here every night. I just…I want my wife to come home and have dinner with me and tell me about her day and watch TV on the couch with me and at the end of the day just fall asleep next to me."

"I can't."

"Why _not_? Do you have any idea how much I miss lying with you in bed and how no matter how tired you were you always kissed me goodnight and held me until we fell asleep. Don't you miss any of that? Don't you miss me at all?" It broke Mitchie's heart to hear her own wife speak so sadly and desperately all because of her. She never wanted any of this to happen.

"Sweetheart, don't doubt that I miss you every minute of every day."

"Then what are you _doing_, Mitchie? Why are you doing this? Just come home."

"I'm just doing what's best."

"How is this what's best? Don't you know you break my heart every night you don't walk through this door? I wait up for you, hoping you'd stop this. And you never do."

"We're just going to end up the same, maybe even worse."

"We'll work on it. God, Mitchie, don't be stupid. We're _married_; just because things get complicated doesn't mean it's not going to work."

"But you know this is what it's always going to be like! This isn't just a bump in the road, Alex. This is our lives." She folded her arms once again and narrowed her eyes at Mitchie.

"Exactly…_our_ lives. But you have no problem making all the decisions, don't you? God forbid I get a say in this."

"It's better this way. I'm not going to hold you back or ruin your life. You just don't want to admit that your father might have been right about us all along. I know I didn't. But I think it's time I stop kidding myself."

"I can't believe you of all people are taking _his_ side," she said, almost as if it disgusted her to even think about the man. Her father had kept his promise to Alex. When he found out his daughter left her perfect boyfriend for some _poor girl_ he all but kicked her out of his life…and pretty much the family as well. Sure she still had some contact with her mother and brothers but it was nowhere near what she would have wanted. And not a day had gone by where Mitchie hadn't felt guilty for causing all of it.

"You can't honestly stand there and tell me you're _happy_ without your family."

"_You're_ my family, Mitch."

"It's not the same."

"You _know_ my father and I had always had problems; it didn't just start because of you, okay?"

"But…you chose me over your own family and now look where you are."

"Where I am is in my apartment that I share with my wife but she refuses to come home because she is too damn _proud_." Mitchie looked down, refusing to meet her love's intense gaze. She knew no matter what she was going to end up disappointing her. "And I chose you over _him_ when he chose money over my own happiness. And don't you dare say I'm not happy with you."

"You don't have to lie, Alex."

"I'm not lying! God, you're so stubborn. We can work all of this out. Things aren't always going to be this hard." A silence fell between them and Mitchie shifted uncomfortably on her feet. She looked down at her shoes and sighed.

"I'm trying…"

"I know you are, baby. Why can't you understand that that's more than enough for me?"

"How can it be?" she asked but all Alex could do was stare back at her helplessly. She didn't know what more she could possibly say to make the other girl stay.

"I," she stuttered out and had to hold back tears. "I don't know what to do, Mitch." It pained Mitchie to hear her voice break like that and she was sure that if she stayed any longer she would start to fall apart.

"Please don't cry." But she knew she had to be strong. "I should go."

"No, you shouldn't."

"I'll be back next time I get paid," she said and urged her to finally take the envelope so she could leave. Alex was upset but her disappointment overpowered everything else.

"I don't want this. There's no point in me taking it if you're not even going to be here."

"Just because I'm not there doesn't mean I'm not going to still try to give you everything I can."

"This is ridiculous."

"I don't want us to fight. Please, just…take it and I'll be on my way."

"Why do you have to be _on your way_?"

"I just think it would be better for the both of us, to figure things out, if I wasn't here."

"What's there to figure out? Do you really not want to be with me anymore or something? Because if that's the case I'd rather you just come out and say it instead of putting me through all of this." Mitchie huffed and for the first time in about a month, walked past her wife and into their home. She dropped the envelope on the coffee table in the living room and headed back for the door.

"We'll talk about this some other time." She tried to leave but Alex, more annoyed than upset at that point, shut the door and grabbed her arm, holding her in place.

"No, tell me now," she demanded and Mitchie stopped trying to move. "Mitch."

"It's not that I don't want to be with you," she answered quietly after what seemed like a whole minute.

"Are you seriously just giving up on us because of a few problems?"

"A _few_?"

"Mitchie it's _not_ that bad; you're overreacting. Sure, things could be easier-"

"See?"

"That's not what I meant and you know it. It's not your fault so stop blaming yourself." She averted her eyes and looked around their apartment instead. It still looked the same since she had left. But it felt strange being there with Alex again. She missed it. But she couldn't bring herself to go back. "I love you," she tried when she accepted that she wasn't going to get anything else out of the other girl.

"I love you too, Alex." She stepped into her and placed her hands behind her neck. But Mitchie was hesitant to hold her.

"Then please, just come home." Her fingers ran through her dark brown hair and she closed her eyes, leaning her head against her chest. "At least just tonight." She felt pathetic, begging her own wife to spend the night. She shouldn't have to. But she was desperate.

"I shouldn't," Mitchie attempted to protest but Alex picked her head up and kissed her cheek softly, letting it linger for a moment. Then she kissed her lips, and nearly shed a tear when her wife didn't respond. She stood there, unmoving, but gently put her hands on the taller girl's hips. "Alex…" she sighed her name sadly, unsure of what to do. She had to think of what would happen the next day and the day after that and the rest of their lives. But with Alex standing in front of her it made it a whole lot harder to make a rational decision. She moved one of her hands up to her face, gently caressing her cheek, and Alex let a tear slip out.

"I can't take this, Mitchie."

"I'm sorry," she whispered while looking into her eyes. Her tears were still falling, slowly but surely. And it broke Mitchie's heart knowing she's the one who made her cry in the first place. Alex leaned in again and kissed her again. That time she couldn't help but kiss her back. Mitchie had missed her terribly and wanted nothing more than to just hold her throughout the whole night, like she used to.

She could feel her tears against her thumb as she held her face and kissed her harder. They moved a little further into their apartment until they hit the couch and they both fell back on it. Mitchie straddled Alex but pulled away and kissed her forehead, resting her own against it afterwards.

They stayed like that for a moment or so, just lying in silence. Alex didn't want to say anything for fear of driving the other girl away. And Mitchie didn't want to further disappoint Alex. She wanted to believe that they could stay like that; holding each other and not worrying about anything, not having anything to worry about. But Alex knew what was going on in Mitchie's head.

"Spend the night," she asked so quietly she wasn't sure she had heard her. "If you're not going to actually come back then can you just stay at least once?"

"You know I love you, princess…"

"You're going to leave, aren't you?" She didn't know why she was even asking anymore. Her answer was always the same and frankly she was getting tired of all these pitiful attempts. Mitchie sighed and got off of Alex but Alex only sat up in her spot.

"I'm sorry."

"Whatever."

"Please don't be angry with me."

"You can't ask that of me after the shit you keep pulling." When she didn't respond Alex stood as well and headed towards their bedroom. "You know the way out," she told her, without even turning around to look at her, and closed the door.

Mitchie dragged her hands over her face and rubbed her eyes. She contemplated following her. But they would end up arguing again. All they had been doing lately was arguing and she felt bad enough as it was. With a heavy heart and a pain in her chest, she took one last look at the bedroom door, _her_ bedroom door, and turned and left her home.

* * *

Even after a month Alex still wasn't used to being alone. She was, however, becoming used to the pain that came along with it. It was almost a numbing feeling by then. And at night she would lie alone in bed and just feel so _empty_.

Mitchie was no better although she was doing a better job at pretending she was. She was miserable at her dad's. Not that she didn't love him dearly, she just hated that she was in her twenties and needed to crash at her parent's house. Surely she could find something small like her old place but she didn't want to make any rash decisions, not any more than she already had.

After getting nowhere with her wife Alex didn't know what else to do. She didn't have much contact with her family anymore. So when Theresa Russo received a phone call from her distraught daughter nearly on the verge of tears she was surprised but still offered her sympathy. And they decided it was time they had a serious talk about what was going on.

Alex was nervous. She knew her mother wasn't nearly as difficult as her father and was a hell of a lot more understanding. But she also knew neither of her parents were particularly thrilled with her choice to practically run off with Mitchie without even saying anything about it to either of them. And she was even more nervous when her mother told her to meet up for lunch at the country club.

She hadn't been there in a couple years, not since the whole Nate proposal fiasco. She only ever went to see Mitchie for whatever reason. She hardly spoke to her parents so she had no reason to come back. And she just really wasn't looking forward to having a conversation with her mother about her wife…at the place she works.

She waited out front for her. She didn't want to risk running into Mitchie earlier than she thought she might. There was a high chance she was on duty somewhere else but she was still apprehensive. When her mother showed up, happy to finally see her only daughter again, they were seated inside and Alex couldn't hide how bad her nerves were. After a while Theresa noticed.

"Honey, what is going on with you?" she asked while Alex was busy staring down at the table, not even bothering with touching her food. She was too upset to eat, and had been for weeks.

"I don't know, Mom."

"Well surely there was a reason you called. You sounded upset on the phone. Is everything okay?"

"I…I don't know. I don't know what's going on with us," she explained and her mother knew she wasn't talking about her.

"You're having problems with Mitchie?" She sighed and set her fork down beside her plate.

"It's not even that _we're_ having problems…as a couple. I mean…kind of. But not really…" Theresa stared at her daughter curiously. She could tell something was going on, something she wasn't telling her, but she didn't want to pry. She didn't want her daughter to be pushed any further away than she already has been by their family, mainly Jerry. "Mom…is it possible for me to tell you something without you telling me you told me so?" Alex asked, still not meeting her eyes. But she could figure where the conversation was headed. The only thing Alex hated discussing about her marriage with her family besides the fact that she married a girl was money. And Theresa didn't want to bring it up although she had her own opinions. She knew it would just upset her daughter.

"Of course, Alex."

"It's not as bad is it sounds, honest. It's just…Mitchie doesn't think I'm…happy…with her…or how everything is." She was dancing around the idea, hoping she wouldn't actually have to come out and admit to her mom that she was having _financial_ _troubles_. And if she was being honest, she didn't feel it was all that much of a problem. Her wife, however, had a different view on the situation.

"I'm sorry…I'm not following…"

"Oh come on, Mom, you know what this is about. Don't make me say it, please. I don't need the lecture."

"I'm not going to lecture you. I'm not your father."

"I know. And I know neither of you guys actually even _like_ Mitchie let alone the fact that I married her but-"

"I never said I didn't like the girl."

"You didn't have to."

"Your father might hate her but I never did. I may not understand why but I do understand that it's who you are. I only wanted what was best for you."

"Why does everyone keep saying that to me? What makes you guys think that I don't know what's best for me? I know what's best for me. I'm miserable without her, Mom. I couldn't be with Nate no matter how much you and Dad wanted me to be. And I know it was wrong of me to stay with him and string him along for so long but I couldn't marry him. I don't care how much money he or his family has. I don't care if you or Dad don't help me ever. I just want to be with Mitchie. I love her."

"Oh, sweetie you know you can come to me. If you're having money problems-"

"Why does everything have to be about money?" she asked, clearly exasperated with the subject already. But the topic has been hanging over their heads ever since she got married.

"Isn't that what this is about?"

"It's just…it feels like I'm the only one who seems to have any faith at all in Mitchie. _She_ doesn't even think she's good enough for me because of all this."

"Have you tried talking to her?"

"Yes, a million times, but she's so stubborn about it. And she's too proud to come back home," she explained, not realizing she never actually told her mom how far things had gotten.

"Come back home? She moved out?"

"No, no, it's not like that." She didn't sound all that convincing and she wasn't even sure if she believed herself. She didn't know what was going on.

"Are you still together?" And her question alone made Alex want to break down and cry. Because she didn't _know_. She shut her eyes and lowered her head into her hands.

"I don't know what's happening to us. I feel like she wants to end things. And it hurts, Mom, I can barely breathe just thinking about it. I can't be without her. I know you think I don't know what I'm talking about but I've never loved somebody so much in my life. I tried to forget about her when we broke up but I couldn't. And when I finally got her back I swore I would never let anything come between us and so did she. She promised."

"What happened though? This couldn't have just come out of nowhere." Alex sighed and dropped her hands, leaning back in her chair.

"I don't think there was any specific incident that made her leave. It's been going on for like…a year." They had only been married for two, but during the first they were far too happy with finally being together again to care about anything else. And Alex desperately wished they could still be like that. "It's just…we have bills to pay, and rent, and insurance, and everything else on top of that."

"Does she still not have a real job?" her mother asked, and she honestly didn't mean for it to come off the way Alex had taken it. She wasn't trying to offend the girl. But everyone knew the various different jobs she had within the country club didn't offer much of a salary. And with Mitchie unable to land a legitimate teaching job, she was only just barely making enough.

"Who cares what she does? She's working her ass off here because it's all she can find. I'd rather her keep this job and make the amount she does than have her like…doing something degrading like stripping or something for a decent buck. And I know she's working so hard. And we're fine, really. Like we're managing, we're getting by."

"Then what's the problem?"

"She doesn't think it's enough."

"Why would she think that?"

"I don't _know_. I mean I know things get hard and stressful but it's nothing that would make me upset with her." For a while her mother said nothing. They sat together not saying a word while Alex just sulked in her seat. Theresa thought about everything her daughter was telling her. She might not have approved entirely of their relationship but she wanted her daughter to be happy. She reached into her bag and pulled out her checkbook. Alex realized what she was doing right away. "Mom, no. I don't want your money."

"Don't be ridiculous. You're my daughter."

"I don't care. I didn't call you to ask you for money. I just wanted to talk. The only other person I discussed this with is Mitchie and that's gotten us nowhere."

"It's just to get you back on your feet."

"We're on our feet. I promise. Do you have any idea how much it would kill Mitchie if I took this?" she said in a much lower voice. She was nervous already being at the country club knowing her wife could be there. The last thing she wanted was for her to see her accepting money from her mom.

"Stop arguing with me, Alex." She started scribbling something down on the paper and Alex crossed her arms.

"And Dad would be _so_ pissed if he knew you were doing this."

"What your father doesn't know won't kill him. I refuse to stand by and let my daughter struggle."

"Ugh, no, please don't. I don't want your help with this, Mom. I don't want your money."

"Take it," she pushed, and handed the check over to her daughter. Alex was sick and tired of people shoving checks into her hand.

"No."

"Oh for goodness sake," she muttered and reached over to Alex's bag on the chair in between them and put the check inside of it.

"Mom!"

"There's nothing wrong with needing help."

"I don't _want_ help."

"But you admit that you need it," she challenged and Alex shook her head sadly. She was close to crying again and she hated showing such weakness and vulnerability in front of her family.

"No, I don't. I just need my wife."

* * *

Mitchie had been coming home late for a while. Leaving her own home just made her want to stay out as long as possible, knowing it wasn't her own bed and her wife she was coming back to. She figured she should spend that extra time working more hours to provide for Alex while she was gone.

Her semi-permanent spot on her dad's couch wasn't the ideal living situation but it would have to do until she figured out what the hell she wanted to do about everything. She loved Alex to death and never in a million years thought would she ever be able to leave her a _second_ time. But as much as she loved her she thought maybe she would be better off.

"Mitch, not that I don't love you or enjoy your company," her dad started when he noticed her come home when he hoped she wouldn't, "but when are you going to get off of your ass and go back to your _wife_?"

"Things are complicated, Dad," she said, her voice tired and emotionless.

"Things are complicated because you're making them that way." She would tell her dad that he just doesn't understand but he probably understood better than anyone else what she was going through. "Look, money isn't everything. Sure, it would be nice and things would have been a hell of a lot easier when you were growing up if I was banking in a six figure salary every year but your mother and I stuck it out. Do you want to know why?"

"Because you had a kid to raise?"

"And because we loved each other. I know you love Alex; if you didn't then you wouldn't have asked her to marry you. You didn't care about what her family would think or about money or any of that then. Why is it different now?"

"Because…"

"Because why?"

"_Because_, Dad! Did you ever find mom crying from working so much and it still not being good enough or having the pressure of her family just _knowing _your marriage is going to fail? I know what they think of me. I know they don't think I'm good enough for their daughter. And you know what? Maybe I'm not."

"You don't honestly believe that. I know you, Mitch. If Alex had married that little rich boy you would have been furious."

"Of course I would have."

"Why?"

"Because…because he didn't deserve her. I mean…he was nice and all but there's no way he loved her more than I do."

"Then why does anything else matter?"

"How can it be enough, Dad?"

"Money can't buy you everything, Mitchie," he told her and took a seat on the couch next to her. "There were plenty of tough times with your mother and I. But we did our best and I think everything turned out okay, even after she passed away. I mean, look at you."

"Yeah…look at me. I'm twenty seven years old and I've had the same job since I was a teenager."

"That's not your fault. Not everyone is as fortunate as Alex to grow up in a wealthy family. And she gave it up to be with you. If money mattered that much to her she wouldn't have done that."

"I just hate this. I want to give her everything she deserves. But I feel like it's never enough."

"This is all in your head. Alex loves you just as much as you love her and she doesn't expect a thing from you…except maybe for you to come home to her at the end of the day…instead of you crashing at your dad's while you _figure things out_." Mitchie leaned her head back on the arm rest of the couch. Her head was pounding. But she felt like no matter what she did or decided, she was still going to be selfish.

"I don't know what to do. I don't want to hurt her."

"Then don't."

"I already am."

"Then go home…go home and _struggle_."

"What good is that going to do? That's exactly what I'm trying to avoid, Dad."

"Because you're going to struggle regardless, Mitch. Unfortunately, this is how things are. But at least if you go home, you're going to be with your wife and you can deal with these things together."

"I don't _want_ her to have to deal with anything. It's not fair."

"Nothing in life is fair. But you do the best you can. You're an adult, a married adult; talk to Alex. And when I say talk I mean _listen_ to her too. Don't just make all the decisions because you think you're doing what's best for her. Let her decide that." And with that he stood up and walked over to her, bending down to place a kiss on the side of her head. "I love you, honey. But get the hell off my couch."

* * *

A couple more weeks had passed. And Mitchie kept thinking about Alex and what her dad told her. She knew she was trying and that Alex had told her countless times that it was more than enough. But Mitchie always felt like she was beneath her, like she wasn't even worthy of being with someone like Alex.

But after those weeks she was determined. Her mind was made up and she didn't want to wait any longer. She had contemplated calling Alex earlier but she still was on the fence about everything. But she was tired of avoiding it. Sure she wasn't completely okay with it all but it would have to do. It just had to.

Mitchie fiddled with another envelope in her hand. She was nervous again but she knew what she had to do. Instead of knocking, she let herself in. It was late and didn't know whether Alex was asleep or not. She hated waking the girl but it was time they had a real conversation. She owed her wife that much after always brushing it off every time.

The apartment was dark. The only light was coming from a small lamp in the living room. And Mitchie briefly wondered if Alex always left it on, waiting for her to come home. She sighed and shut it off before slowly making her way to the bedroom. The door was already open and she leaned against the door frame and looked at her wife's sleeping form.

She looked peaceful, happy even. And she wished she could always look like that. It was almost as if Mitchie wasn't disappointing her every day and night. She swallowed past a lump that appeared to be forming in her throat and opened the door a little more. At the sound of it creaking Alex stirred in her sleep and turned over, and her eyes met Mitchie's.

"Hey, princess…" she said quietly, a small hint of a sad smile playing on her lips.

"Mitchie? It's so late, what are you doing here?" She didn't sound hopeful anymore. She had been let down too many times by the other girl to get excited when she would see her in their home. And Mitchie could tell. It was like she had given up.

"I came by to give you something." If it wasn't so dark, she was sure she would have been able to see the disappointment in her eyes. Alex turned back and pulled the comforter up over her shoulders. "Sweetheart, can you please look at me."

"Why?"

"Because…"

"_Because_? Is that all you got?"

"I got other things…" she trailed off and it seemed to catch Alex's attention. She walked over to the bed and climbed onto in, kneeling beside her wife. She sat back against her heels and set the envelope down behind her. Instead, she offered a single flower that Alex didn't notice she was holding until that moment. She bit her lip and took it from her, sitting up a little.

"You came here at one in the morning to give me a flower?" she asked, her voice still thick with sleep. She rubbed her eye tiredly and Mitchie moved some of Alex's hair behind her ear. She looked down at it and she's never tried so hard not to smile before. She stared at the stargazer lily in her hand and sighed. She remembered.

"I came here for a lot of reasons."

"And what are those reasons?"

"For starters…I love you, more than anything in this world, and I never want you to think that you're not the single greatest thing to ever happen to me." She played with the stem between her fingers and looked down. "This is also for you." She handed her the envelope she had brought with her and Alex's face fell.

"Are you kidding me, Mitch? I told you a million times to stop giving me these," she said firmly and tried to turn away and go back to bed. Mitchie held her wrists gently. She took the lily and set it on their nightstand. But as she was turning back to face her wife her eye caught something already sitting on the table.

"Alex…what is this?" she asked as she picked up the small piece of paper and read it over. Alex knew what it was before she even opened her mouth. "Your mom wrote you a check?" She furrowed her brows and stared down at it. She didn't know whether to be hurt or angry or just all around upset.

"Yes…she did…but Mitchie, I swear I didn't want it."

"Then why do you have it?"

"I told her not to. I wasn't going to deposit it. I told her we didn't need help."

"But…you went to her…and she just _assumed_ we were struggling?" Alex pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed through it.

"I was just upset that you weren't coming home anymore. And I hardly see my family anymore…" she explained but Mitchie shook her head and shut her eyes, feeling guilty again.

"I know you don't."

"No, Mitch…" Alex held Mitchie's face in her hand and turned her head to look at her again. "You have nothing to feel guilty about. My dad wants to pretend I don't exist anymore? Fine. So be it. I don't want someone like that in my life anyway. I know he's my dad but he's almost never acted like it. I'm perfectly fine with the way things turned out."

"Fine and happy are two different things, love."

"I am _happy_. I'm just not happy when this money thing comes between us. What happened to forgetting about what the king thinks?" she offered lightly, and even smiled at her wife for added measure. She always used to love to tease her about her wealth. Alex didn't know when all that had stopped. "C'mon baby, I know you don't really believe I'm like that. We've been fine…and _happy_ since we've been married. I know I've been."

"I have been too."

"And I know things may not always be so easy for us but we're both doing the best we can and working with what we've got. We'll get by, Mitchie."

"I don't want us to just get by. I want you to not have to worry about things. I want you to have everything you've ever dreamed of having." Alex finally let go of Mitchie's face and reached for the check her mother had written her. Without a second thought she tore it in half and back down the middle again, placing the scraps on the nightstand.

"I have you though. That's all I need. Why can't I convince you that I already have everything?" A lone tear slid down Mitchie's cheek and Alex was quick to wipe it with her thumb. She held her hand against her and kissed the palm of it. "I love you."

"I know, sweetheart. I love you too."

"Then can you please stop this nonsense?" she asked her, holding up the envelope Mitchie had with her. She took it from her wife's hands and opened for her.

"Just…take it," she for what seemed like the hundredth time to Alex. She rolled her eyes but Mitchie handed the money over to her anyway.

"Why?"

"Just…because." She sighed again and reluctantly accepted it. She was trying not to get upset with her because this was the most they've communicated in over a month and Alex was sick of the distance. But when she looked at it her face scrunched up in confusion and she looked back up at Mitchie.

"What is this?"

"I thought it would help us get by."

"Yeah but…this is more than the other times." It wasn't a whole lot more but it was something and Alex was beyond confused.

"I know."

"Where did it come from? Mitch, I swear to God if you've resorted to drug dealing I will slap you so hard you-"

"Calm down, love," she said, laughing a bit at her wife's antics. "I'm not selling drugs."

"Then where did it come from?"

"Well I mean don't you think they'd pay managers just a little bit more than regular workers at the country club?" Alex tried not to smile again, for fear of possibly misunderstanding or just not hearing her correctly at all.

"What?"

"One of the managers of the restaurant left…and they needed to fill the spot." She watched her with bright eyes, hanging on the edge of her seat. "And they chose me."

"Oh my God, Mitchie I'm so proud of you," she said but stopped herself when she thought of something. "Why didn't you tell me this before?" She had been alone in their home this whole time meanwhile Mitchie got a promotion? Alex didn't understand it.

"Because…I don't know; I found out like…a month ago. I know it was dumb to not tell you…and to leave…but I just kept thinking that it wasn't-."

"Wait, wait old on…let me get this straight. Did you come back because you got a promotion? If you didn't get the position were you just never going to come back?"

"After a while and after talking to my dad and having him kick me in the ass I realized how stupid I was being. I was coming back anyway."

"Were you?"

"Yes. I know I've been difficult and stupid but I couldn't help but feeling like I was holding you back."

"You're not, baby. But…wait…" she said again and Mitchie honestly didn't know what she could possibly be thinking that time. "If you've been promoted then what have you been doing with the extra money?"

"Saving it."

"Saving it?" She put the money aside and ran her fingers through Alex's hair, placing a soft kiss on the tip of her nose. Alex couldn't help but smile.

"I've been trying to get enough saved to find us a better place. I found some too, nicer ones, that we can actually manage. I know it's not much at all but…" She sighed and took one of Alex's hands and held it between both of hers tightly. "Alex, I promise…one day I'm going to give you everything you want, and then even after I'm going to give you more just because I love you and you deserve everything in the world. We'll get out of this apartment and we'll have a house together, one we can raise a beautiful child in, with a backyard and a garden because I know how much you love flowers and being outside, and we're not going to worry about anything ever again." Alex hung her head, her hand still in Mitchie's grasp, as she allowed herself to cry. She would have tried to hold it in but hearing Mitchie say such sweet things was making her entirely too emotional for her own good. And her tears streamed down her face whether she liked it or not. "Don't cry, love. It's like you said; everything's going to be okay."

"I know. It's just…I'm sorry; I don't mean to get like this," she admitted, and even laughed a bit through her tears. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too, beautiful. I know. Please forgive me. I was an idiot. I shouldn't have left in the first place and it took me way too long to realize that letting you go _again_ would have been the worst thing ever. I didn't let Nate or your father stop me from being with you and I'm not gonna let my stupid insecurities stop me either, not anymore. I'm here, and I'm with you, forever." Alex leaned her head against Mitchie's shoulder, feeling her shirt absorb the stray tears. She pulled her hand out of Mitchie's and wrapped her arms tightly around her wife. She immediately felt her returning the warm embrace and Alex wanted to cry all over again.

"You're literally the most wonderful person I have ever met. I love you so much, Mitchie. I've loved you since I was fifteen years old. And even after we broke up I couldn't stay away."

"I know. And you mean the world to me, I swear it. Nothing's ever going to keep me from you. I love you too." Alex pulled back and kissed her with so much passion it made her head spin. And when Mitchie kissed her back just as fiercely, she smiled against her lips. She pushed Alex back onto the bed and lied down next to her, holding her in her arms like she used to every night. "I do have a question though…" she said thoughtfully and Alex tilted her head.

"What is it?" Mitchie closed her eyes and buried her face in the crook of Alex's neck, breathing in her scent and sighing contentedly.

"Can I spend the night?" Her voice was muffled but Alex heard her, and her heart finally felt at ease. After all this time of the pain of feeling empty, she never wanted to let Mitchie go. She nodded, kissing the top of her head.

"Nothing would make me happier, baby. Please don't ever do something like this again." She kissed her once more and looked into her eyes. She knew she had made some mistakes and her biggest ones were letting her go at all. Even when she had left before she always came back. She couldn't handle it and she would never want to put her wife through that kind of pain again. They were going to stay together, through everything, no matter what.

"I could never leave you, princess."


End file.
